1.23.2026

They Call Us Culinary Monster

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.


What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome chef Hasung Lee, aka "Culinary Monster," one of the breakout contestants from season two of Netflix's hit Korean cooking competition show Culinary Class Wars. He talks about his journey from Korea to the United States to train in some of the world's best kitchens; getting cast on the show as a Black Spoon chef -- including how he got his nickname; his unique focus and confidence while competing in each cooking challenge; and which fellow contestants' dishes he wishes he could have tasted. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of competing on Culinary Class Wars.




Our theme music is by Kero One.

They Call Us Bruce is a member of the Potluck Podcast Collective.

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